Wang Anshi
There are some plums in the corner, and cold ling opens them alone.
I knew from a distance that it wasn't snow, because there was a smell coming.
[Notes]
1. cold ling: braved the cold.
2. remote: remote.
3. For: Because.
4. Dark fragrance: refers to the fragrance of plum blossoms.
5. Know: Know
[translation]
One: There are some plum blossoms in the corner, blooming alone in the cold. Why do you know from a distance that Bai Meihua is not snow? That's because there is a faint plum blossom fragrance.
Two: Several plum blossoms in that corner are blooming alone in the cold. From a distance, I know that Bai Meihua is not snow. Because there is a faint plum blossom fragrance.
[Appreciation]
This poem praises the noble character and tenacious vitality of plum blossom by writing that plum blossom is in full bloom and flawless in cold.
Plum blossom, with good fragrance and color, is unique in early spring, has a strong character that is not afraid of cold and an enterprising spirit that is unwilling to lag behind, so it has been sung and praised by poets. Among a large number of Yongmei poems in ancient China, Wang Anshi's Plum Blossom is a masterpiece with distinctive features and widely sung.
This poem by Yongmei is about plum blossoms in early spring. Although there are only 4 sentences and 20 words in the whole poem, it vividly depicts the charm and fragrance of plum blossoms in early spring. The first two sentences, "There are a few plum blossoms in the corner, and the cold ling blooms alone", are written in the chilly early spring, and everything has not sprouted, only a few plum blossoms in the corner bloom against the cold. These two sentences describe plum blossom, not its shape, but its spirit. The word "corner" indicates the position; "Individually opening" and "counting plum blossoms" take care of each other, conveying the message that plum blossoms are the best in the world. The word "cold ling" interprets time and highlights Chun Mei's personality in full bloom in the cold. But it is not the first time that these two poems write that plum blossoms bloom regardless of the cold. Other poems have been described before. For example, the poem "Early Plum" written by Xie, a poet in the Southern Dynasties, said: "Spring comes early, but you don't doubt the cold. I'm afraid no one will look after I fall into the flowers. It closely follows the word "early" and expresses people's psychological state with words such as "doubt" and "fear" to personalize plum blossom, thus vividly embodying its noble character of resisting snow and welcoming the spring.
Compared with the first two sentences, the last two sentences "It's not snow from a distance, it's plum blossom fragrance", which is more novel and unique. "Knowing from a distance is not snow", focusing on people's visual image, implicitly wrote the purity and whiteness of plum blossoms. Although this poem denies that the plum blossom in the corner seen by the poet in the distance is snow, it actually reflects the color of plum blossom as white as snow in twists and turns. Imagine, if this plum blossom is not white, but red or other colors, will the poet associate it with snow? It is precisely because plum blossoms are like snow that the poem "Early Plum" by Zhang Qian, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, "I don't know if it will bloom soon, but I doubt that it will disappear after winter snow". It is wrong to regard plum branches as snow branches to reflect the characteristics of early blooming in Bai Mei, giving people the feeling of "wrong" and "strange".
The poem "Far from Snow" not only implicitly describes the purity and whiteness of plum blossoms, but also indirectly shows that the poem "The corner is in full bloom against the cold plum blossoms" written in the first two sentences is actually vaguely seen by the poet from a distance, and together with the next sentence "For the sake of fragrance", it writes the fragrance of plum blossoms and appeals to people's sense of smell. There is an internal relationship between poetry and poetry, which shows the rigor of the whole poetry structure.
The poet wrote to Mei without using any adjectives, splashing ink like clouds, or exaggerating. Instead, it is written skillfully and naturally with two poems that seem to be the most unusual and strange (in Wang Anshi's language). There is a causal relationship between these two poems. It is precisely because of the fragrance of plum blossoms that the poet "knows from a distance that it is not snow." If plum blossoms have no fragrance, when poets vaguely see them in the distance, they will inevitably mistake them for snow branches. Writing plum blossom in two mutually causal poems has received excellent artistic effect, which is similar to Zhang Wei's poem "Early Plum". Of course, this poem of "a bosom friend in the distance" does not necessarily mean that the poet really smells the fragrance of plum blossoms in the distance, and thus draws the conclusion that it is Mei Xue Fei, but only writes in vain, which greatly expresses the rich fragrance of plum blossoms.
If the plum blossom sung in this poem "Plum Blossom" not only makes people appreciate its blooming charm, but also leaves a distinct impression of its beautiful fragrance and unique style, then this poem itself is as pleasing to the eye and artistic beauty as the plum blossom it sings.
Among the poems about plum blossoms sung by the ancients, one is quite famous, that is, Xiaomei in the Garden in the Mountains written by Lin Bu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty before the author. In particular, the poem "Shadows are shallow and dusk is fragrant" is known as Yongmei's swan song. Lin Bu, who has never been an official, married and had children, and lived alone on the hillside of an isolated mountain near the West Lake, growing plums and raising cranes, living in seclusion. Therefore, when he wrote Yongmei's poems, he could only express his lofty thought of being divorced from social reality. The author's poems are different. He skillfully borrowed Lin Bu's poems, but he was able to bring forth the new. Look at the plum blossoms he wrote. They are as white as snow. They grow in the corner without inferiority, and they exude a fragrance from a distance. The poet described the purity and beauty of plum blossom with snow by appreciating its noble character of not being afraid of cold, and pointed out that plum blossom has a "dark fragrance" more than snow, which shows the great charm of a strong and noble personality. In the extremely complicated and difficult situation of the Northern Song Dynasty, the author actively reformed, but failed to get support. His lonely mentality and difficult situation naturally have something in common with Meihua. This little poem has profound implications, and the sentences are simple and natural, without any traces of carving.